[ra7]

> Considering that the ruling party is BJP (equivalent to US Republicans)

There are many things wrong with the BJP, but they are not really equivalent to the Republican Party. This is a lazy comparison at best, disingenuous at worst. Their economic, environmental policies and even social issues are completely different than the Republicans.

[addicted]

Yeah. The Modi government/BJP is equivalent to right wing authoritarian governments around the world. Tories in the UK, Netanyahu’s government in Israel, etc.

The Republican Party is on its own little island far far away from any other normal political party in the world. For example, the Republican Party is the only major democratic political party in the entire world that denies the existence of anthropogenic climate change. There are major right wing political parties worldwide that may claim the costs of doing anything exceeds the benefits or that we need to wait for better solutions, etc but no major party denies the basic scientific fact of it happening the way the Republicans do.

There is also other stuff like the prevalence of young earth creationism, the overt religiosity, the lack of any economic principles (e.g. just see their rhetoric on deficits when there is a Democrat in charge vs what they do when they are in charge) etc that sets them apart from major right wing political parties worldwide.

[thewhitetulip]

[flagged]

[thewhitetulip]

Since when is equivalent mean exactly same?

Your statement is lazy comparison, disingenuous at worst.

Economic policies? Oh, do you mean the disasterous butchering of Indian Economy which took it to a 8yr low? Or do you mean the 45yr high unemployment level? Or the pathetic rollout of GST when they kept changing rules everyday or the disasterous demonization which screwed up entire informal sector?

Environmental policy?

Is this the same policy wherein the BJP is about to remove all protections provided to Environment by law? It would made it very easy for companies to take out a forest?

Or are you referring to the million trees cut down under the pretense of "development"

Or do you refer to the butchering of part of Arey forest for a metro car shade in Mumbai?

Social issues you say?

So you mean the blatant attempt of destroying Secular fabric of this nation by bringing CAA NRC?

Or do you refer to the police state wherein they arrest everyone who dares oppose them on sedition? Or the arrest-but-no chargesheet-file? Or the malicious rearrests after courts have let the dissenters go?

[ra7]

You are just listing newspaper headline items, I'm not sure how they are relevant when comparing BJP with the Republican Party. Let's actually talk about the policies and contrast. Some of the government schemes announced (and in progress) would make Modi right at home in a Bernie Sanders town hall meeting rather than being similar to the Republicans. Just off the top of my head:

* Modi doubled down on Congress' NREGA scheme for providing guaranteed 100 days of pay to rural workers, whether they worked or not.

* Introduced direct cash transfers to farmers.

* Various farm loan waivers, especially some of the BJP-led state governments.

* Announced a free healthcare under National Health Protection scheme.

* Free housing, electricity and LPG gas connections for the poor.

* Introduced long term capital gains tax in 2019.

* Non-opposition to LGBT rights. I say "non-opposition" because they don't champion it like the Democrats, but are neutral since it's not a big ticket item in Indian society or politics. They passed a bill to prohibit discrimination against transgender persons last year (but there is some controversy surrounding it [1]). Again, a big no-no for the Republican Party.

* Massive push for renewable energy - India doubled its renewable energy capacity in 3 years and on track to triple it in the following 4 years [2]. 47 GW (45% of all under development) coal projects was cancelled just in 2019 [3]. Good luck trying to get the climate change denying Republicans to do this.

BJP's economic polices are as socialist as they come [4]. None of this would fly with the Republicans. That's how they are different - in actual policy positions.

[1] - https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2019/12/04/7843987...

[2] - https://energy.economictimes.indiatimes.com/energy-speak/new...

[3] - https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/banking/financ...

[4] - https://www.fairobserver.com/region/central_south_asia/india...

[addicted]

I agree with the idea that Republicans are extremely different than right wing parties worldwide.

However, they are no less socialist than anyone else. The only difference is Republican socialism flows upwards.

I mean, what could be more socialist than demanding a foreign company he sold and deciding which limited sets of companies is allowed to buy it. And we don’t even need to get into the outright bribery where they are demanding a cut of the transaction.

That behavior, even without the open corruption, is beyond what most major center left parties in the world are proposing now that Corbyn does not lead UK’s Labour.

[thewhitetulip]

True that. I thought you were yet another BJP troll let loose on me.

Yes, BJP is primarily acting like a socialist party.

Also I didn't say equal to Republican, I said equivalent as in both parties are conservative and they both work exclusively for their billionaire donors while pretending to care for common people.

[ra7]

> they both work exclusively for their billionaire donors while pretending to care for common people.

I've got a bridge to sell you if you think this characteristic is exclusive to only BJP and the Republicans.

[thewhitetulip]

There is a thin line between favouring crony capitalists and ignoring general public and working exclusively for your cronies.

Exclusively is what both republicans and BJP are experts at doing.

Indian economy is screwed and yet Ambani is getting richer day by day. Adani recently took 74% stake in Mumbai airport

All govt companies are now bankrupt because BJP wants to favour their cronies. BSNL is on the verge of collapse because BJP considers Jio as the "official govt telecom company"

[ra7]

> All govt companies are now bankrupt

This is categorically false. There are several PSUs that are profitable. From a cursory Google search: https://www.fortuneindia.com/psu?year=2019

Maybe go easy on the exaggeration.

> BSNL is on the verge of collapse because BJP considers Jio as the "official govt telecom company"

BSNL had it coming with years of mismanagement, high employee costs and inability to upgrade infrastructure. Though, you could certainly argue competition from Jio accelerated it with its predatory pricing.